07 Nov Why is professional development important in the workplace?
It is normal for employees to feel like they have reached a plateau in their professional career. They may be getting bored of continuously performing at the same level and noticing that their expertise is no longer competitive in their industry.
An achievable solution to this problem is committing to professional development. Professional development occurs when an employee voluntarily participates in furthering their education to advance their career while continuing employment with their current employer. Employees decide or are asked to engage in this learning opportunity to enhance their skills and knowledge to become more effective in their position. Professional development programs are more forward thinking in nature, with a focus on advancing the employee’s career and creating opportunities for the business.
Why engage in professional development?
Many employees are not committed to advancing their skills because once they secure a job and are content with their compensation, they don’t feel pressure to improve. Taking the time to elevate your experience could provide a competitive edge that other colleagues don’t have.
Focusing on professional development could enhance your knowledge, improve self-assurance, increase compensation, help you become a more desirable recruit, broaden prospective career opportunities, expand your network, and help improve the overall industry.
When an employee commits to engaging in learning opportunities, it directly enhances your knowledge in your current job. There is the opportunity for individual development, but there is also ample opportunity for collaboration, as new perspectives are encouraged in a class setting.
Developing skills and perfecting your responsibilities can also increase self-assurance because the employee is more likely to feel equipped to handle any future problems. When an employee trusts their abilities, it is possible that they will seek more work and that others will feel more confident to employ them to complete tasks.
Because the employee is learning a modernized version of their role, they develop the skills necessary for the current market, which can attract the attention of other companies and employers. Taking the time to upgrade your credentials provides a certain appeal to other employers, especially when it is paired with experience, and could lead to your employer providing more pay for your efforts.
Not only could other employers want to hire you in your current role, but more education could also qualify you for new roles with greater compensation. There is a chance the skills you develop surpass the skills needed for your current role, and you could use these tools to progress in your career.
Just like most schools, there is a lot of opportunity to meet new people. When an employee attends a program, it is likely there will be many more employees in similar roles which could be helpful for future career opportunities. Not only are you retaining new knowledge, but you are also building a network of people to contact who can help ensure your newly acquired value is recognized.
Lastly, engaging in professional development could help begin the process of improving the overall industry. As stated previously, this education could modernize the knowledge you have in your role, which could lead to updating the industry altogether. If more employers begin to appreciate your qualifications and knowledge, it could slowly become the improved standard.
If you are an employee having issues engaging in professional development at the workplace, please contact KCY at LAW by filling in an online consultation request or contact us by phone at 905-639-0999 to book your consultation today.